Fic: Only One
Title: Only One
Author:
lemon_pencil
Rating: G
Characters/Pairings: Ten, Donna
Disclaimer: I have a confession: I am RTD! So they're mine! ... No, okay, I lied.
Warnings/Spoilers: Little spoiler for The Doctor's Daughter.
Prompt word: Reckless
Author's notes: Response to the weeky drabble challenge at doctor_donna . Once again, it is not particularly centred on the prompt word, just inspired by it.
Another day, another planet, another city. But that was just it: Donna could never tire of this. So many new worlds to behold, and all of them were different and thrilling and breathtaking. The Doctor liked to point out and explain things to her, but most of all he liked to see the excitement in her face because that made it worth it any time. And here they were again, strolling happily along a colourful street in the alien sunshine. Until…
The Doctor stopped in his tracks suddenly, the colour draining from his face. When Donna turned to look at what he was staring at so compellingly, she let out a small gasp and touched his arm in case he needed steadying. For in the middle of the crowded street was a man dressed in strange attire - a long, flowing robe, a curious curved headdress and shoulder pieces of the same style. People were standing around him in a semi circle, listening to his speech and looking at each other in wonder. But it was the sign behind him that made her catch her breath. ‘HEAR THE WISDOM OF A TIME LORD’, it proclaimed. ‘HIS WORDS SPAN ALL OF SPACE AND TIME.”
“He… he can’t be,” whispered the Doctor. “He can’t. They’re all gone. Unless… he wasn’t there at the Time War. But they all were. He can’t be!”
Donna could see that despite all the odds, there was a flicker of hope in his eyes. A single one of his people left would change everything. He knew that it was improbable - impossible, perhaps - but wanting it to be true with every fibre of his being was making the hope manifest itself in belief. He began to walk purposefully towards the man, parting the crowd with his air of power. He stopped in front of him, ignoring the irritable mutters of the people around.
“You - you’re a Time Lord? A true Time Lord?” he asked, desperation and a touch of madness colouring his tone.
The stranger assumed a majestic appearance and answered in a deep, imposing voice. “Why, yes. Yes, I am. I am the great Morred of Gallifrey. You have come to hear my wisdom?”
The Doctor shook his head. “Prove your status as one of the ancient race!” he cried. “Which chapter do you belong to? How did you survive the Time War? Tell me!”
The man attempted to maintain his lordly countenance, but the wild stare of the Doctor was too much for him. He wrung his hands and when he spoke, it was with distress. “Please! Leave me be! I am but a poor actor trying to make my living! I pose as a Time Lord to earn money for my family - that is all! There are no Time Lords left alive, sir!”
Donna’s heart went out to the Doctor as she watched his expression change with this admission. The look on his face was heartbreaking to behold. There was nothing worse than false hope, and in that moment there was nothing she desired more than to shield him from this.
When he addressed the man once more, his voice was choked with emotion and rose to a shout as his anger overpowered him. “You’re wrong. I am the last bearer of the name. You insult their memory!”
With this, the Doctor turned and strode in the opposite direction. People once again moved out of his path, this time gazing at him in fear. Donna ran after him, trying to push her way through the masses and catch him. At the top of the street, there was a high-speed carriageway where hovercrafts were zooming in both directions. Reaching it, the Doctor barely glanced at the oncoming traffic before striding straight out into the road recklessly. Donna screamed as one of the crafts swerved violently to avoid ploughing into him, which would have surely caused mortal wounding. He reached the other side and continued. Donna waited at the carriageway until the traffic slowed to let pedestrians cross, and then hurried after him. She caught up with him halfway down the next street, stepping in front of him and grabbing his shoulders to force him to stop.
“Doctor! Don’t ever do that again! You could have been killed!” she admonished him gently, taking his hand.
Tears of anguish and rage and pain were streaming down his face and he was shaking violently.
“I knew. I knew! It couldn’t have been one of them. I knew that; it was stupid to think anything else. But… but I -” He broke off, pained.
Donna squeezed the hand she held. “You couldn’t stop yourself from hoping. That’s not stupid, Doctor, it’s natural. I’m just so sorry it wasn’t. Really, I am.”
“I was going to hurt him, Donna,” he said, a haunted look etched on his features. “I had to get away. What if I’d done something terrible?”
“You wouldn’t. I know you wouldn’t. You’re a good man, and anger doesn’t make you any less of one! Even on Messaline when they killed Jenny, and you wanted to hurt them, you didn’t. You said it yourself: you never would. Don’t beat yourself up about it! It’s completely understandable, ” she said.
She wrapped her arms around him, which said everything else she wanted to say to try and fix him. Reaching up, she tenderly wiped his face with the back of her hand. He took a deep, shuddering breath and exhaled, momentarily closing his eyes.
“I’m sorry for worrying you like that,” he said, “I wasn’t thinking about… well, anything, except running far away, but I must have scared you, acting like such a lunatic -”
“Shush,” she said, touching a finger to his lips. “Stop it. It doesn’t matter. Well, I’d rather you didn’t try it another time because you almost gave me a heart attack when you stepped into the road like that. But forget it. We’ve all done stupid things, although getting mashed up by a space car would have been particularly stupid admittedly.” Her eyes twinkled. He smiled. “Onwards?” she said.
They walked on hand in hand. There was still only one Time Lord in the universe. But it was okay, because there was one Donna too, and that was good enough.
Author:
lemon_pencil
Rating: G
Characters/Pairings: Ten, Donna
Disclaimer: I have a confession: I am RTD! So they're mine! ... No, okay, I lied.
Warnings/Spoilers: Little spoiler for The Doctor's Daughter.
Prompt word: Reckless
Author's notes: Response to the weeky drabble challenge at doctor_donna . Once again, it is not particularly centred on the prompt word, just inspired by it.
Another day, another planet, another city. But that was just it: Donna could never tire of this. So many new worlds to behold, and all of them were different and thrilling and breathtaking. The Doctor liked to point out and explain things to her, but most of all he liked to see the excitement in her face because that made it worth it any time. And here they were again, strolling happily along a colourful street in the alien sunshine. Until…
The Doctor stopped in his tracks suddenly, the colour draining from his face. When Donna turned to look at what he was staring at so compellingly, she let out a small gasp and touched his arm in case he needed steadying. For in the middle of the crowded street was a man dressed in strange attire - a long, flowing robe, a curious curved headdress and shoulder pieces of the same style. People were standing around him in a semi circle, listening to his speech and looking at each other in wonder. But it was the sign behind him that made her catch her breath. ‘HEAR THE WISDOM OF A TIME LORD’, it proclaimed. ‘HIS WORDS SPAN ALL OF SPACE AND TIME.”
“He… he can’t be,” whispered the Doctor. “He can’t. They’re all gone. Unless… he wasn’t there at the Time War. But they all were. He can’t be!”
Donna could see that despite all the odds, there was a flicker of hope in his eyes. A single one of his people left would change everything. He knew that it was improbable - impossible, perhaps - but wanting it to be true with every fibre of his being was making the hope manifest itself in belief. He began to walk purposefully towards the man, parting the crowd with his air of power. He stopped in front of him, ignoring the irritable mutters of the people around.
“You - you’re a Time Lord? A true Time Lord?” he asked, desperation and a touch of madness colouring his tone.
The stranger assumed a majestic appearance and answered in a deep, imposing voice. “Why, yes. Yes, I am. I am the great Morred of Gallifrey. You have come to hear my wisdom?”
The Doctor shook his head. “Prove your status as one of the ancient race!” he cried. “Which chapter do you belong to? How did you survive the Time War? Tell me!”
The man attempted to maintain his lordly countenance, but the wild stare of the Doctor was too much for him. He wrung his hands and when he spoke, it was with distress. “Please! Leave me be! I am but a poor actor trying to make my living! I pose as a Time Lord to earn money for my family - that is all! There are no Time Lords left alive, sir!”
Donna’s heart went out to the Doctor as she watched his expression change with this admission. The look on his face was heartbreaking to behold. There was nothing worse than false hope, and in that moment there was nothing she desired more than to shield him from this.
When he addressed the man once more, his voice was choked with emotion and rose to a shout as his anger overpowered him. “You’re wrong. I am the last bearer of the name. You insult their memory!”
With this, the Doctor turned and strode in the opposite direction. People once again moved out of his path, this time gazing at him in fear. Donna ran after him, trying to push her way through the masses and catch him. At the top of the street, there was a high-speed carriageway where hovercrafts were zooming in both directions. Reaching it, the Doctor barely glanced at the oncoming traffic before striding straight out into the road recklessly. Donna screamed as one of the crafts swerved violently to avoid ploughing into him, which would have surely caused mortal wounding. He reached the other side and continued. Donna waited at the carriageway until the traffic slowed to let pedestrians cross, and then hurried after him. She caught up with him halfway down the next street, stepping in front of him and grabbing his shoulders to force him to stop.
“Doctor! Don’t ever do that again! You could have been killed!” she admonished him gently, taking his hand.
Tears of anguish and rage and pain were streaming down his face and he was shaking violently.
“I knew. I knew! It couldn’t have been one of them. I knew that; it was stupid to think anything else. But… but I -” He broke off, pained.
Donna squeezed the hand she held. “You couldn’t stop yourself from hoping. That’s not stupid, Doctor, it’s natural. I’m just so sorry it wasn’t. Really, I am.”
“I was going to hurt him, Donna,” he said, a haunted look etched on his features. “I had to get away. What if I’d done something terrible?”
“You wouldn’t. I know you wouldn’t. You’re a good man, and anger doesn’t make you any less of one! Even on Messaline when they killed Jenny, and you wanted to hurt them, you didn’t. You said it yourself: you never would. Don’t beat yourself up about it! It’s completely understandable, ” she said.
She wrapped her arms around him, which said everything else she wanted to say to try and fix him. Reaching up, she tenderly wiped his face with the back of her hand. He took a deep, shuddering breath and exhaled, momentarily closing his eyes.
“I’m sorry for worrying you like that,” he said, “I wasn’t thinking about… well, anything, except running far away, but I must have scared you, acting like such a lunatic -”
“Shush,” she said, touching a finger to his lips. “Stop it. It doesn’t matter. Well, I’d rather you didn’t try it another time because you almost gave me a heart attack when you stepped into the road like that. But forget it. We’ve all done stupid things, although getting mashed up by a space car would have been particularly stupid admittedly.” Her eyes twinkled. He smiled. “Onwards?” she said.
They walked on hand in hand. There was still only one Time Lord in the universe. But it was okay, because there was one Donna too, and that was good enough.